Sprint to Trial 5G at Copa America Soccer Cup in June

Sprint will use the 2016 Copa America Centenario soccer competition in June to showcase its 5G technology trials. During the wireless carrier’s first-quarter earnings call today, CEO Marcelo Claure said Sprint will conduct the 5G demonstrations using gear from Nokia and Ericsson.

The 5G tests will focus on the delivery of 4K streaming video of the soccer matches at two stadiums involved in the international soccer competition. A Sprint spokeswoman declined to provide further details about which two stadiums have been selected or when the demonstrations will occur.

Claure did say that the 5G trial will use millimeter wave spectrum.

This is the first time the 100-year-old Copa America Centenario soccer competition will be held in the United States. The tournament, which starts June 3 and ends June 26, consists of 32 soccer matches. Those matches will be held in 10 cities around the country including Chicago; Houston; Philadelphia; Glendale, Ariz.; Santa Clara, Calif.; Pasadena, Calif.; Seattle; Orlando, Fla.; East Rutherford, N.J.; and Foxborough, Mass.

It’s not surprising that Sprint’s 5G trials will be held in conjunction with the high-profile soccer match. Earlier this year Sprint announced that it was a corporate sponsor of the Copa America tournament.

Plus, Claure is a well-known fan of the sport. He owns Bolivian soccer giant Bolivar and has been working with soccer legend David Beckham to bring a major league soccer franchise to Miami.

Up until this point, Sprint had been quiet about any 5G plans, unlike its competitors Verizon and AT&T, which have both announced plans to trial 5G this year.

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Sue served as SDxCentral's vice president of content from March 2016 to November 2018 where she was tasked with building its IoT and 5G coverage. Prior to joining SDxCentral, Sue was editor-in-chief of FierceMarkets Telecom Group where she oversaw the editorial content of several FierceMarkets’ newsletters including FierceWireless. She also provided editorial guidance for the publications’ websites, webinars, and live events. Sue is a frequent speaker at industry events and has moderated panels for the Consumer Electronics Show, the Competitive Carriers’ Show, PCIA: The Wireless Infrastructure Show, CTIA, Interop, 5G Americas and more. Sue has more than 25 years of experience reporting on the telecom industry.

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